Guardian Prize Puzzle No 25340 by Puck
Given the structure of the grid I was expecting to find a nina in the letters that form the circumference of the puzzle but it soon became apparent that the final destination referred … Read more >>
Independent 7,691/Phi
Smashing stuff as ever from Phi. Lovely surfaces and some great anagrams, particularly the &lit. at 6D. Clue of the day for me is 22A, which had one of those ‘ah, very good’ … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,716 / Gurney
My first blog for Gurney. I found this very easy to solve, ideal for a beginner as a start into the world of cryptics (but not equally easy to annotate – the explanations … Read more >>
Guardian 25,345 – Chifonie
I’ve been a bit harsh on Chifonie in the past because of his very straightforward and sometimes unchallenging style, usually involving lots of simple charades, but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have … Read more >>
Financial Times no. 13,715 by Monk
Took me a little while, this, but that may say more about me than about the puzzle. I had to look up a couple of the trickier words, but the wordplay was mostly … Read more >>
Independent 7690/Punk
A good crossword as usual from Punk. The long down clue in the middle I thought told us the theme, which was confirmed by 19ac and 27ac, but there weren’t many more answers … Read more >>
Guardian 25,344 / Gordius
Rather surprisingly, it’s me for the second time this week. I was asked to stand in – it’s not that I put in a special request for a Gordius! 😉 Across 8 BEDSTRAW: … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,705 by Cincinnus
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 28 More gems from Cincinnus this week. I especially like 1A (APPENDICES), 7A (FADO) and 8D (DETOURS). Then there is one of his brilliant long … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,714 by Gozo
A nice crossword today from Gozo with a good range of clues, some quite easy and some more tricky. Something for everybody I thought. I also learned quite a few interesting facts researching the solutions for … Read more >>
Independent 7689 by DAC
Wednesday and it’s DAC again, lovely stuff as ever, great anagrams and surfaces abound No obvious theme although there is a few acting related answers Across 1 MOVIE M.O. + VIE 4 … Read more >>
Guardian 25,343 / Araucaria
There are lots of nice clues in this puzzle, but this was a typically problematic Araucaria for me, in that there were lots of references I didn’t know ….. (LAUD, HYDE, MECHLIN, NOCTULE, … Read more >>
Inquisitor 1179 – Five Characters in Search of an Author by Samuel
Unusually, I think, the title virtually gives away the theme. Certainly I wasn’t at all surprised when the theme revealed itself. Twelve of the clues lead to an extra letter which spell … Read more >>
Independent 7,688 / Raich
Not as detailed a blog as I would have liked to produce today, owing to unexpected personal commitments. However, an enjoyable puzzle with an entertaining theme that I didn’t spot for a long … Read more >>
Financial Times 13,713 / Loroso
When I agreed to stand in for scchua I was hoping that I would get a Loroso to blog and I have not been disappointed. As usual with this setter there are some excellent … Read more >>
Cyclops 444: Oddments and sodments
Many apologies for the late posting — I wrote this last week, when away from home, but didn’t quite have it ready to post. And the last few days have been absolutely chaotic, … Read more >>